Traditional vs. Modern Classic Furniture

May 26, 2010 11:56:17 AM

Many people grew up in homes filled with traditional furniture. Heavy brocade fabrics, dark woods, ornamentally carved dining room chairs and the heavy, museum-like impressiveness of living room furniture are quite familiar to most of us. In the mid-20th century, however, furniture designers largely departed with historical furniture traditions and began experimenting with materials, line and functionality producing the furniture that became what we know as modern classic.

The marked difference in the feel of traditional furniture and modern classic furniture can be traced back to their origins. Traditional furniture was first created for Europe’s monarchs and wealthiest families. Historically, craftsmen carved wood pieces by hand and patterns in the fabric used for sofas, bedclothes and curtains were often created by skilled seamstresses working without sewing machines. Because this style was used to fill castles and mansions, it understandably became the home furnishing style of choice once mass production techniques made the style more widely available to people of more moderate incomes.

Modern classic furniture, however, was birthed just as mass production techniques were developed for home and office furnishings. Modern classic furniture designers were highly interested in making furnishings more functional and practical than traditional furniture and also in putting high-quality design in the hands of more than just the wealthy. Modern classic furniture designers began to experiment with using metals, plastics, molded plywood and leather in their work, as well as reworking the line and form of furniture. Famous examples of this innovative new approach to furniture are especially visible in pieces such as Swiss-French designer Le Corbusier’s sofa designs, faithfully reproduced in stores such as EZ Mod Furniture. Whereas traditional sofas were often high-backed, featured quite rounded lines and were often decorated by brocade patterns and ornate carved wood accents, Le Corbusier’s sofa design stands in stark contrast with its boxy design, simple black or white leather upholstery and use of chrome steel to provide a metal frame to hold the cushions together.

A decided advantage of modern classic furniture designs over traditional furniture is that they lend themselves to our modern televisions, sound systems and game consoles much more efficiently than traditional furniture. Because traditional furniture was designed and created largely in an era before modern electronics, the rounded edges and dark woods can clash somewhat with the right angles and dark colors of your home television. Modern classic furniture designs, however, largely mimic the stricter angles and simple color scheme of most home entertainment centers, creating harmony between furnishings and electronics, rather than seeking to hide them in armoires or cabinetry.

If you are looking to furnish your home or office in the clean lines of the modern classic style, visit EZ Mod Furniture today.